2023 Books Read

53,387 Views | 527 Replies | Last: 4 mo ago by Clavell
Proposition Joe
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BigJim49 AustinNowDallas said:

Philo B 93 said:

I've read several books twice, but I've read Hitchhikers Guide more times than any other book. I'd guess about 4 times now, although I haven't re-read it in over 10 years. Maybe it's time. It's one of my favorite books of all time.
What's it about?

It's about how our planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.
Trajan88
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** Project Hail Mary **

Andy Weir, you magnificent *******, I read your book.

Now get this movie made... we need to see this on the big screen!

"Ryan Gosling's Astronaut Movie Gets Proper Update & Story Details From Solo Directors"

https://screenrant.com/project-hail-mary-movie-gosling-story-details-update/
Rudyjax
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Trajan88 said:

** Project Hail Mary **

Andy Weir, you magnificent *******, I read your book.

Now get this movie made... we need to see this on the big screen!

"Ryan Gosling's Astronaut Movie Gets Proper Update & Story Details From Solo Directors"

https://screenrant.com/project-hail-mary-movie-gosling-story-details-update/


A film won't do this story Justice. Needs to be a mini series. 10 episodes.
Trajan88
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Yep.

You think there will be a follow up book to Project Hail Mary? Maybe a trilogy?
Rudyjax
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Trajan88 said:

Yep.

You think there will be a follow up book to Project Hail Mary? Maybe a trilogy?


I hope so.

Rocky come to America?

Lol
RED AG 98
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I need this
StinkyPinky
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Trajan88 said:

** Project Hail Mary **

Andy Weir, you magnificent *******, I read your book.

Now get this movie made... we need to see this on the big screen!

"Ryan Gosling's Astronaut Movie Gets Proper Update & Story Details From Solo Directors"

https://screenrant.com/project-hail-mary-movie-gosling-story-details-update/


This has to be one of the most polarizing books. I hear this often (we already probably talked about it here), but then quickly here its overrated. I have read The Martian. I acquiesce, I will read it next.
Eliminatus
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StinkyPinky said:

Trajan88 said:

** Project Hail Mary **

Andy Weir, you magnificent *******, I read your book.

Now get this movie made... we need to see this on the big screen!

"Ryan Gosling's Astronaut Movie Gets Proper Update & Story Details From Solo Directors"

https://screenrant.com/project-hail-mary-movie-gosling-story-details-update/


This has to be one of the most polarizing books. I hear this often (we already probably talked about it here), but then quickly here its overrated. I have read The Martian. I acquiesce, I will read it next.


I thought this for the Martian tbh. It truly is just run of the mill science fiction to me. No better, maybe worse with how cringey the main character was written. The author types like a teenage neckbeard to me. I don't get the abject bashing of it but even I at times feel compelled to lightly push against the insane hype I see from time to time about it.

This is a book I would give a solid 6/10 rating on and not double think it for a second. Haven't read PHM yet and I won't lie, I have put it on the back burner solely from my experience with the Martian so far.
Agristotle
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FWIW, I enjoyed The Martian, didn't care for Project Hail Mary.
Rudyjax
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Agristotle said:

FWIW, I enjoyed The Martian, didn't care for Project Hail Mary.


I'm on record that The Martian book/movie are my favorite book movie combo.

I loved PHM more.

Rudyjax
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Confession time: I fall asleep to PHM audiobook every night.
713nervy
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I'm telling Jesus.
RED AG 98
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Same
Furlock Bones
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i thought the Martian movie didn't do the book justice at all.
Furlock Bones
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currently reading The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiney, and Murder by David Grann. Same author that wrote Killer of the Flower Moon.

Rudyjax
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Furlock Bones said:

i thought the Martian movie didn't do the book justice at all.


Movies can't do books Justice . They did the best they can. In the 2 hour medium, they did a great job.
StinkyPinky
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See, this is the typical polarizing response I was talking about. And agree with Elam on The Martian, was underwhelmed as well.
Rudyjax
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StinkyPinky said:

See, this is the typical polarizing response I was talking about. And agree with Elam on The Martian, was underwhelmed as well.


How is that polarizing? I'm giving my opinion on why I feel that movies are different works of art.

Whether someone likes the Martian or does not like it, or PHM, is no skin off my back. I just mention how I love them so people won't just get negative reviews.
StinkyPinky
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Rudyjax said:

StinkyPinky said:

See, this is the typical polarizing response I was talking about. And agree with Elam on The Martian, was underwhelmed as well.


How is that polarizing? I'm giving my opinion on why I feel that movies are different works of art.

Whether someone likes the Martian or does not like it, or PHM, is no skin off my back. I just mention how I love them so people won't just get negative reviews.


Not you. Comment aimed is that some people love it (PHM) , some people hated it (see earlier comment). Reading too much into it, wasn't aimed at you.
Rudyjax
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Sorry. You didn't quote anyone or reply to anyone so I assumed you were responding to the previous post.
StinkyPinky
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Rudyjax said:

Sorry. You didn't quote anyone or reply to anyone so I assumed you were responding to the previous post.


Yea. I suppose I was being a bit lazy with it All good.
Rudyjax
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mrsbeer05 said:

The Storyteller by Dave Grohl 4.5/5

Just Dave telling stories. Listened to the audiobook which Dave reads. If you like the Food Fighters or rock stories, this is very enjoyable.


This was excellent.
Eliminatus
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My personal reading has been a mess lately. Finally decided I needed to reorient myself and get back on track.

I have put this book off wayyyy too long in my life. Figured it was time to dig into it and hopefully also use it to dig myself out of this reading rut I've been in.

Genuinely excited now that I have it in hand.
713nervy
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Who the hell was Sir Francis Chichester and why do we care about his opinion?!
Rocagnante
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Just finished A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine and about to start A Desolation Called Peace. A couple of Hugo Award winners.
Fairview20
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Recently finished Killers of the Flower Moon and Project Hail Mary due to all the recommendations on here.

KOTFM was great, it's very impressive how much research the author put into it, and was able to take all of that research and put it into a coherent story. Can't wait for the movie in the fall.


PHM was also great, and I needed something a bit lighter after KOTFM. It's almost 500 pages long but I found it to be a quick read. All of the science talk in the book was impressive and rarely felt like it was too much.

Highly recommend both.
The Dog Lord
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Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #1: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #2: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #3: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Era 2 #1: The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Era 2 #2: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Era 2 #3: The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
The Eleventh Metal (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn: Secret History (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
The Emperor's Soul (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Elantris (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Stormlight #1: The Way of Kings
Stormlight #2: Words of Radiance in-progress

And just to make sure I don't misstep, I'm including my planned reading order below
  • Arcanum (Edgedancer)
  • Stormlight 3
  • Dawnshard
  • Stormlight 4
  • The Lost Metal
  • Other short stories


I really liked WoK. Was definitely into this book from the beginning. There is always a bit of a struggle getting through the early world building of a new story, but the Kaladin and Dalinar chapters pulled me in pretty quick. Even some of the Shallan parts were interesting, especially her later chapters. The first vision of Dalinar's you get to see around page 300 was definitely an "I want to know more" moment as well.

I was guessing Stormlight might trump the other Cosmere series based on reviews from basically anyone else who has read Sanderson, but I feel more confident with that prediction now. Still took me a bit to get through this book, but work/life have not been my reading ally this year. I'm still hoping to knock out the the rest of my list this year though. May take a bit more than casual nightly reading to get there, but WoK has motivated me somewhat to choose a reading session over tv for a bit.
13B
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StinkyPinky said:

Trajan88 said:

** Project Hail Mary **

Andy Weir, you magnificent *******, I read your book.

Now get this movie made... we need to see this on the big screen!

"Ryan Gosling's Astronaut Movie Gets Proper Update & Story Details From Solo Directors"

https://screenrant.com/project-hail-mary-movie-gosling-story-details-update/


This has to be one of the most polarizing books. I hear this often (we already probably talked about it here), but then quickly here its overrated. I have read The Martian. I acquiesce, I will read it next.
Said it before, for me, The Martian was better. Both totally worth reading though.
Eliminatus
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Humble Bundle of Steve Erickson. 17 eBooks for $18. Includes his entire Malazan Book of the Fallen series along with some of his other works.

If anyone as wanting to dive into this monster of a epic, well this is about as low as you can get them price wise and stay legitimate.

Figured I'd pass it along. Killer deal.


https://www.humblebundle.com/books/steven-eriksons-malazan-book-fallen-tor-publishing-group-books?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=07_0562_Bundles_all_Facebook_CBO&utm_content=2023_malazanbookfallen_bundle_static_standard_enhancements&utm_term=2023_malazanbookfallen_bundle_book_usa-can_allplacements_18plus&fbclid=IwAR3o8Tq9pw1YVdDhuVAMPiwUYZudacpY6745nrBAs-fRQBO-9s2d7Jss384_aem_AZmWzrUSL0MBgMH7rFRE1qpdhnwr62T4oRz6COPLLykfpKadPnuKjYRQH_V34U24dhz2CtYEKDWjAJSx9FPLF2_w

Blurb from site:

"Discover the sweeping saga of gods, mages, mortals, and warring nations in New York Timesbestselling author Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, heralded as one of the most ambitious, complex, and masterful epic fantasy series of all time. This epic ebook bundle features the complete main 10-volume saga (from Gardens of the Moon to the gripping final volume The Crippled God), as well as seven additional titles that further explore the history and conflicts of the Malazan Empire. Journey deep into one of fantasy literature's most celebrated worlds, and help support Covenant House with your purchase"
YouBet
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Feel like I've struggled to read this year, but my pace is tracking pretty consistently with recent years. Looking at my list it's almost all digital and audio reading which is more than I would have expected. I have approximately 75 unread hardbacks and paperbacks in the library so I'm good for years at this point. Lol.


Read YTD:
  • The Last Resort: Adrian's March Part Two (AUD Book #10) - Kindle
  • No God: Adrian's March Part Three (AUD Book #11) - Kindle
  • Heir of Novron (The Riyria Revelations #5-6) - Michael J Sullivan - Audible
  • Dead Cities: Adrian's March Part Two (AUD Book #12) - Chris Philbrook - Audible
  • Ghosts: Adrian's March Part Two (AUD Book #13) - Chris Philbrook and Carl Meadows - Audible
  • The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness #2) - Joe Abercrombie - Hardback
  • Supernova in the East I - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast

Recently Completed:

Supernova in the East II - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast
Still pretty fascinating. So much history and causes of WW2 here that we were never taught in school. Halfway through the third one.

The Archer's Tale (The Grail Quest #1) - Bernard Cornwell - Kindle
Always love Cornwell and this one is great like most of his stuff.

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) - Kindle
Shockingly, this is my first sci-fi read of the year and it was a fun one. Pretty short (although it's a series) and very entertaining story about a security robot designed and programmed to protect their human subjects that manages to remove its programming governor and essentially becomes sentient and pursues free will.

Currently Reading:
Supernova in the East III - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast
The Grace of Kings (The Dandelion Dynasty #1) - Ken Liu - Paperback
Black Autumn - A Post Apocalyptic Saga (Black Autumn #1) - Jeff Kirkland - Kindle
  • Already digging this. A Green Beret helps run a survivor camp when society crashes. His motto is basically "F* Your Feelings".
YouBet
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Damn, that is an incredible deal!
210
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Just finished:
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow - Story about relationships & videogames.
Lessons In Chemistry - A little too cute for me but still an enjoyable read about a woman trying to work as a chemist in the 50s in a male dominated sector.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - Short stories about working class English post WW2. Hit or miss depending on the story.

Up Next:
The Secret History - I loved Goldfinch by Donna Tartt so excited to read this one.


Previous books this year:
Napoleon: A Concise Biography
The Glass Hotel
The Boys in the Boat: The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics
Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World
Gourmet Rhapsody
Dubliners
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Demon Copperhead
Project Hail Mary
The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles & Their Secret World War
Zorrie
The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Chipotlemonger
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Nice. The 3rd one in Stormlight, Oathbringer, was my own personal favorite of the bunch so far.
713nervy
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I didn't care that much for Lessons in Chemistry. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that.
Eliminatus
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Love me some Dan Carlin. Supernova was great. Even for someone who thought they "knew pretty much everything" about that side of the war but still learned a lot. I just love the perspectives he puts on things.

The Grail Quest series was my intro to Cornwell's works and still my favorite. Glad to see others even knowing about it. It gets forgotten a lot I think. the Sharpe series is also super nostalgic for me.
 
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